Lost & Found
by chylersilva
Summary: After leaving Wellington behind, Clementine, Kenny and AJ run into Michonne. Spoilers for the game and show (not comic compliant as I have not yet read those). I'm terrible at summaries, give it a read and I'll love you forever! Feedback is welcome. Not beta'd, so be gentle with me. Cross posted to Ao3 and tumblr.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Finding A Way

She tunes out the sound of arguing yet again as they walk, distracting herself by making faces for little AJ in her arms. "What were you thinking? You could've gotten us all killed back there!" The woman somehow gets her frustration across without shouting. Restraint was never Kenny's strong suit, however, so Clementine braces herself for his response. She's surprised when he's quiet for a few moments. "I'd never have let them hurt Clem or AJ." Their newer companion has no reply for that, but Clementine thinks she sees her nod and that's that.

—

The young girl remembers when they first met the woman with the sword- a katana, she informed her. They'd been reluctant to take in anyone new, of course. After all that had happened, Clementine wasn't even certain about how much trust she could put in her old friend Kenny, much less someone new. After Bonnie, Mike, especially after Jane, she wasn't sure she could ever trust again. People had a way of leaving her or betraying her, so far there'd been little evidence to the contrary.

But that mentality just wasn't something she could afford, not with AJ in her care. So she put her faith into Kenny, he was family after all, and even despite any concern she knew she wouldn't have been able to just leave him. So far he'd kept his side of the bargain not to let her down. It'd been about three weeks since they turned their back on the looming walls of Wellington when they ran into her.

"You don't want to go that way," she warned them, voice coming out of nowhere. They'd been exploring the area in search of a decent place to settle for a while, potentially until Wellington would be open for all of them. Having spotted what looked like a small neighborhood in the distance, they planned to check it out, regardless of what some stranger might tell them.

The plan was cut short when they saw what the mysterious acquaintance meant. A herd had taken over the entire road, presumably drawn there by whoever had been unfortunate enough to make an attempt at the homes before they arrived. It was all but thanks to the katana wielding stranger that they'd made it out of there unscathed, and soon after that she wasn't a stranger anymore.

Her name was Michonne, and she was reluctant to share more than that, but the look in her eyes when she saw little Alvin Jr. up close for the first time told Clementine a lot more. At first, the tentative alliance was riddled with conflict. The two adults were both stubborn, believing they knew what was best and often wanting to go in different directions. Despite the headache, Clementine felt strangely safer with the new addition to their crew. However, she would not get attached, not again. She waited for the day Kenny would take her aside and bring up the topic of their going separate ways from her.

The moment never came, however, and as the days passed Michonne became more of a mainstay in their little ragtag group of survivors. Clementine isn't sure when exactly they unconsciously made the decision to accept her, but she thinks it has something to do with the night they spent camped at what was once a toy store of some variety. Clementine insisted she was too old to have any use for toys, but they were glad to find a few things AJ might enjoy at an older age. She was asleep on the other side of the room while the adults kept watch, at least that's what they thought. Sleep didn't come easy to her anymore most days.

As she laid there, head resting against a stuffed lion for a pillow (Michonne's choice for her, although Kenny agreed), she could hear bits and pieces of the conversation. The words were hushed, but not with any sense of urgency. It was when Kenny mentioned Duck that her attention was caught. Clementine opened her eyes long enough to see tears in both of her adult companions' eyes and she was reminded again of when Michonne met AJ that day. After that night, things were different. Although the arguments still came, they were less frequent, and put to rest with less struggle. It was as though they'd come to understand one another, and Clementine was glad for it.

Maybe they did have a chance of surviving this after all.


	2. Chapter 2

"Can I try?" The young girl approaches the woman as she swings her katana against an invisible opponent, slow and steady. Control Is key, she'd told Clementine before. This left her keen to try her hand at the weapon, but she hadn't dared asking before now. Michonne was protective over that sword like her life depended on it. Which these days, it really did.

"You think you can handle it?" Michonne retorted teasingly, shifting the handle in her grip as though contemplating. Clementine's brow furrowed in determination. "I can handle it." Her reply left no room for argument, although the seasoned fighter still stood in hesitation. "I bet you can," Kenny's familiar voice called out as he joined them in the small cluster of trees they'd made camp around, AJ cradled in his arms. "Hell, this girl's probably better than me with a gun by now. Like to see what she can do with somethin' fierce like you got there." This brought a faint smile to Clementine's face as Michonne slowly gave in and handed her the weapon.

"You keep your hands here - not too low, not too high. It should feel like an extension of your own arms." As Michonne continued to instruct her, a certain memory came flooding back. Lee. She remembered when he taught her how to shoot. It seemed so long ago now. As she swung the katana, Clementine wondered how her departed companion would feel about the makeshift family she found herself with. Proud, she hoped. Caught up for a moment in her thoughts, her eyes moved in the direction of Kenny. He was the one person she had left in this world who understood how much Lee meant to her. As they made eye contact, it was almost as though he could tell what was going through her mind and he gave her a silent nod.

"Here, try and take a swing at this," Michonne spoke quietly, interrupting the moment as she gestured to a low hanging branch in front of them but the girl didn't mind. "Tree won't know what hit it." She noticed Michonne was smiling, subtly, but enough for her to see. The woman often kept her emotions held close, so it was worth noting when her guard was down. The picture of concentration, Clementine swung the katana and took the branch off smoothly. "Look, I did it-" She began, but just as soon as they looked to congratulate her a gunshot rang out. The bullet hit the tree she'd just been sparring with and in a split second the smile had been wiped from all their faces.

"Oh, no," Michonne responded, concern evident on her face while Kenny's reaction was stronger. "Fuck! Shit, Clem, come on we gotta move." Without a thought, Clementine handed the katana back to Michonne who sheathed it at her side. She moved her arms gesturing for Clementine to listen to Kenny and get moving. Another shot rang out in their direction. "Who the hell are these assholes?" Kenny raged, hushed only when AJ began to cry. He stopped momentarily, handing the baby to Clementine. "Here, anything happens you two get the fuck out of here and find some place safe." The girl looked back at Michonne who was trailing behind them, oddly quiet for the situation and apparently lost in thought.

Suddenly, she spoke up. "Listen, we have to split up." She was clearly conflicted, but Clementine and Kenny were confused in response. "What?" Kenny asked incredulously. "Why the hell would we do that? If we can get to somewhere that-" Michonne cut him off then. "They're after me," she told him. "These people- their leader, he wants-" She glanced at the worry on Clementine's face then, deciding not to finish the sentence for whatever reason. "Just go. I can handle myself, always have. They won't follow if I'm not with you."

Kenny seemed dumbstruck for a moment before anger took over once more. "Goddammit woman! Don't you think you should've told us if a group of psychopaths with guns were looking for you? Are they tryin' to make themselves walker food with all those gunshots?" Clementine watched the scene unfold as her companions struggled with what to do. It wasn't until this moment that it struck her how badly she didn't want to lose Michonne. She'd told herself not to get attached, but it had happened anyway. She'd already had to say way too many goodbyes in her short life, she wasn't saying it this time. But just as she was about to voice this, they could hear the distinct sound of footsteps approaching much closer. Walker or human, it was hard to tell, but either could spell disaster for them. Kenny was quick to draw his gun, and Michonne followed in suit with the katana. Clementine's hand moved towards her own gun, balancing AJ against her shoulder, but she saw Michonne shake her head. "Hide," she hissed, head gesturing towards nearby brush.

She wanted to stay. She could keep her own with the two adults and stand her ground, but a glance at the baby in her arms that fortunately had stopped crying in his pseudo sister's arms prompted her to rethink. "Fine. But I'm not leaving you. Either of you," she spoke forcefully, although in reality her voice was barely a whisper. Not wanting to waste another moment, she took cover in the aforementioned brush, crouching low and keeping AJ occupied with one of the little toys they'd acquired for him in hopes it would maintain his silence for them all.

The footsteps were closer now, the air tense as Clementine watched her companions move to stand back to back in preparation for whatever mayhem was to come.


End file.
